1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for assessing the position of an anchorage of a child restraint anchorage system of a vehicle.
2. Background Art
Motor vehicles may include a child restraint anchorage system. A child restraint anchorage system uses a plurality of anchorages to transfer loads from a child safety seat to the vehicle structure. Anchorages may be located where they are partially concealed by or recessed from one or more vehicle surfaces, such as the surfaces of a vehicle seat. These surfaces may interfere with anchorage visibility and position assessments. Previously, vehicle surfaces were cut away and/or material was removed to allow the position of an anchorage to be evaluated. Such destructive evaluation techniques increase development costs.
Before applicant's invention, there was a need for an apparatus and a method for accurately assessing the position of an anchorage of a child restraint anchorage system. In addition, there was a need for an apparatus and a method that could be used with various child restraint anchorage designs and configurations. Moreover, there was the need for an apparatus that could be easily reconfigured to accommodate different seat designs. Also, there was the need for an easy-to-use apparatus and method to reduce training time and associated costs. Problems associated with the prior art as noted above and other problems are addressed by applicant's invention as summarized below.